10/21/2026
"Deserted for centuries because of constant raids by pirates and the Turks, this tiny arid island was first settled in 1088 when the Emperor of Constantinople made it a gift to the monk Christodoulos Latrnos so that he could establish a monastery in honor of St. John the Divine on the site. has been a place of scholarship and religious enlightenment ever since. Today this modern pilgrimage site is a quiet respite from the tourist havens many other Greek isles have become."
Many on our ship visited Chora, the island’s picturesque hilltop village, to see the impressive Monastery of St. John and the nearby historic windmills, and the Cave of the Apocalypse (traditionally believed to be where St. John received the visions recorded in the Book of Revelation).
Not us! Today was all about island R&R :-) From the port of Skala we got a taxi to nearby Grikos where we walked along the coast to Petra beach. Beautiful place for a swim and a picnic lunch.
Taxi driver to pick us up at a prearranged time, back to Skala for a short wander before heading back to
